tommy

i'm considering heading to Philly for a few days. while i'm there, i want to take in some of the best eats that the city has to offer. i *have* to go to Morimoto, so that's one down. and i've always wanted to go to Jack's Firehouse, 'cause of his TV show and all. is le bec fin still all that? any other ideas? i suppose one of those cheesesteak places is in order. i'm interested in brilliant food and unique experiences. preferably without having to play "dress-up." also, recs on accommodations would be appreciated as well. price is not a consideration, 'cept i don't want to spend more than 5 bucks on a cheesesteak. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

the stryofoam soup container that you apparently don't have the pleasure of seeing! i think we should call for some standardization here. it's all too confusing.

you should probably wait for the "busy" signal inbetween redialing. also, a good vocabulary helps.

i rarely see those cartons 'cept for rice. and *some* noodle dishes at some places. my chinese food comes in tins with clear plastic lids or even plastic containers. i use a plate and a fork. the stuff is usually oversauced, and it makes it easier to mix with a bit of rice. the plate does i mean, not the fork. but actually the fork does too. what's with chopsticks anyway?

well, being logical for a moment, i don't know that the french people or economy are benefiting from the style of food he serves. quite different than purchasing french-made wines.

recently returned to Mignon. upbeat blues was happily snapping and swinging away on the stereo. the steaks are dry aged 28 days. the meat is Prime, although they offer Choice as on option for one of the cuts. not sure why. had a t-bone which was just perfect. charred and m/r. french fries were a bit greasy and seasoned with some sort of spice/herb mixture. they would have actually been good had they not been so oily. skin on, which i don't like very much either. grilled veggies for 4.95 or so was a nice side. asparagus, red pepper, squash, onion, mushrooms. some nicely burnt, others not so much, but not oily at all. a very light side. it should be noted that the steaks are served with fried onions on top. not a lot, and not enough to overpower the dish if you want to push them aside. but i can imagine this might offend some purists. the staff, as noted above, is eager to please. very young, attractive, and pleasant. the bill, for 2 sides, 1 t-bone, and one ribeye was 61 before tip. byo. i do love this aspect of the place. we were craving steak, and it was going to be the River Palm. however, that would have been twice as much. the steaks here, imo, are just as good as the River Palm, and the place is about 1/10th as pretentious.

jersey girl. dude, i know uncle floyd! i'll call him tomorrow.

jersey girls.

is it me, or do alsatians seems to have a higher corkage rate, or, at the very least, can exhibit more of a "musty" nose more often. i know, of course, it's just me.

the ratio of men to women was very high that night, as is generally the case at rutt's hut. although, our group had way less ink and piercings than the rest of the customers (as far as i saw ). and from what i could tell, rail paul was the only guy in our group who showed up on a harley. he's a lot cooler than he looks.

that's the coolest thing i've seen on egullet in about 3 months.

please don't ever mention that bar again. ever. regards, tommy

ah. indeed. mcanns is roomy, although it can be just as smokey as the tap room at the Oyster Bar. although, they do have quite an impressive selections of wines by the glass at the oyster bar. beers, however, i'm guessing not.

i'm curious as to what posters think the downsides and upsides of being caught "note taking" might mean to the overall experience? most reviewers that i've been out with are very discreet about their note taking, whether it be recorded or written. surely most restaurants don't treat customers differently when they see them jotting down notes. do they? and if so, can it be a bad thing? i'm doubting it, unless, as, in bux's example, perhaps things get a little too over-the-top. but if that's all it takes to get "special" treatment, then i'll carry a pad and pen to every restaurant.

i always recommend willie gluckstern's book, the wine avenger. a great introduction. short. cheap. immer's book, as mentioned by claire797 is also very good, although it's a bit more comprehensive. i'd actually recommend both for any beginner.

dude, another egulleter and i went out to the parking lot to round you up for the final pic. but we couldn't find you. i thought you knew to come around to the other side. i know, i know, you just wanted your water bottley.

Nick nick, of course, being the exception.

you're joking, right? no one said anything about my water. i would have been pissed as well, as they don't even sell bottled water.

while i realize that sometimes salt content can stem from a recipe, which is presumably created by a chef, don't chefs have a team of people around them doing the actual cooking and adjusting salt levels? don't a lot of chefs, especially some listed in this thread, not do a whole lot of day to day cooking anyway? and even if they did, wouldn't someone on that team around them, a team presumably comprised of cooks who know taste and flavor, say something like "chef tommy, i know you're stoned off your ass today, but this fucking stock is way too salty"? in other words, how often is there really a direct correlation btwn one guy who smokes and the level of salt, or balance of flavors, that come out of his kitchen?

but they weren't mushy. i'm seriously baffled by the whole thing. granted, i haven't been to the "dining" area in years. i usually go to the walkup counter. and there is usually a big difference. maybe it was just an off night. for clarity, the 15-20 a head included a very generous tip, and a silly amount of bud bottles. i think the buds were 2.25 each or something ridiculous. stopping in for lunch at the walkup counter you can expect to drop about 6 bucks for 2 dogs, fries, and a "pepsi large, no ice." ngatti needs a haircut.

hehe. i discovered this on my own this past summer. all of the times i'd been there and walked past there i never knew. i did it the other day with a friend and we laughed ourselves silly.

the dogs were really not that good. i don't know why. i love the dogs here usually.

anil, are you saying that you didn't like the oysters?

glenn, it's sunny and 60 degrees. you have no excuse, other than lameness.

ya think?